Category Archives: Globetrotting

“The problem with a lot of the statements/comments I’ve read lately regarding police officers, federal agents, private security employees and various other areas of employment involving ‘positions of power’ is that they’re ‘blanket statements’. Too often people are so quick to say ‘All cops are bad’. Unfortunately blanket statements are used in all types of situations these days, especially via social media…where an image/video can spread like wildfire before the truth of the event actually unfolds.”

“I try to avoid making these types of statements because I’ve traveled the world and have had the opportunity to meet different types of people of various races, religions and backgrounds. I’ve learned not to assume that the attitude, negativity and bad behavior I receive from one person will be the same attitude, negativity and bad behavior I’ll receive from other people of that same race, religion or background. In other words, what people look like and what they do for a living doesn’t amount to the type of person they are. The type of person they are is determined by exactly that…the type of person they are. Some of my dearest friends are police officers, security guards, federal agents, and bouncers. They’re not racist, bigots, biased or violent people. They’re confronted every day with situations that test their will, resolve, patience and survival, yet they behave in a manner which coincides with their character. They’re not good people because they’re cops, agents, or security. They’re simply good people who happen to be in those jobs.”

“The men in the video below for example are, for lack of a more politically correct word, a**holes. Again, I don’t know the logistics of the situation, I’m simply making an assumption due to what I’m seeing in this video. Could they be two great cops that are treating the cameraman in this manner because the cameraman is a scumbag they know from ‘around the way’? Sure. Could they be two cool dudes that were just told to act this way by their overbearing superior? Yes. If they are in fact just a**holes however, they’re not a**holes because they’re cops, they’re simply a**holes who happen to BE cops. If they were teachers, farmers, construction workers, or McDonald’s fry-guys, they’d probably STILL be a**holes.”

(Click to watch video via YouTube)

“Of course, there will be those of you that disagree with me. Like I said, everyone has had different experiences in their lives and everyone is different than I am, thus everyone won’t think the same way that I do…some people just hate uniformed individuals. There will be those of you that say having a gun, a badge, a siren and the daily duty of dealing with criminals MAKES you an a**hole…but this is an observation I won’t agree with. I was a bouncer for years in NYC. Did I talk a little more trash because I knew the nightclub or my fellow boys in black would back me up? Sure. Did I expect to get to the front of the line at certain spots because of who I was and who I worked for? Of course. But deep down inside I was the person that I was, with the responsible mindset and moral integrity that I had. I never beat someone to within an inch of their lives or worse because I could get away with it, because deep down inside I simply wasn’t the typer of person that would do that…regardless of the power behind my position of authority.”

“I know my words here won’t be world-changing. My thoughts on this matter should be taken simply as they are…my thoughts on this matter. If you’re the type of open-minded person that might learn a thing or two from people other than yourself however, here’s the one seed I’d like to plant: take people for WHO they are, HOW they act and WHAT they do. Exterior appearances can be deceiving. They can lead you to believe something untrue about someone. They can also cause you to miss out on knowing some of the best people on this earth.”

“Try not to see your fellow humans as the clothes they wear, the jobs they have, the car they drive or the entity they pray to…try to see them for who they really are.”

I shot this from the backseat of a taxi while on assignment in Delhi, India.

(photo: Fidel Amos)

This little girl was weaving in and out of the traffic that had stopped for a red light…she was begging for money and food. Not visible in this photo, her legs were dirty and her feet were shoeless. I remember thinking to myself how in the United States, a young person with her look might model, or do television commercials.

But in her country, in her city, she was just another street kid with no hope for a real future.

They say “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”…a saying I’ve tried to adhere to in every city in every country I’ve ever visited. To truly experience a culture (especially as a photographer) one must allow oneself to become immersed entirely, to try new things, to fit in.

Often times in my travels I’ve noticed foreigners in other countries acting like, well, foreigners. More specifically I see Americans abroad complaining that it’s too hot, or too cold, or too dirty. They walk around upset because they can’t find a McDonald’s, Burger King or Budweiser. In my opinion, finding myself in a country lacking the “comforts of home” is exactly the reason I went to that country in the first place! Tasting the local cuisine, walking the streets and soaking up the essences that make that particular country what it is…that’s what traveling is all about.

…and that is exactly why on assignment in Delhi, India, I found myself meditating, yoga style, for the first time ever.

There is an area at the top of a hill in Kathmandu, Nepal called Swayanabath. It goes by a second name, Monkey Temple…aptly named, as there are monkeys roaming around freely amongst the locals and tourists. While on assignment there I met a woman.

She just stared and stared and stared at me and my Canon, watching me shoot.

(photo: Fidel Amos)

After I while she began chatting in her tongue, so I listened.

She then pointed at the area around her; temples, shrines, souvenirs, the people, the monkeys. I looked as she pointed, not understanding her words but getting a visual grip on what it was she was showing me.

Two or three years ago I was sitting on a step outside a tiny corner store near a highway in India to a pitstop meal of chips and a soda. A ragged, shoeless, dirty, teary-eyed little boy came up to me holding two balloons. He didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Hindi so we traded unfamiliar words for a minute or two. From what I could gather he was trying to sell me the balloons, or he had just found the balloons…in either case he was holding onto them tightly.

He made a motion for my potato chips so I gave him the bag I had just opened. He ate very slowly and stared at me blankly while I shot his photo. After finishing, he motioned for my Coke. I opened the bottle and gave it to him…he drank, slowly again. He then sat on the step next to me for a few minutes, jabbering on again in his quite voice, holding onto the balloons with both his little hands.

Just in case any of you cared whatsoever and had absolutely nothing else to read right now, I thought you’d like to know…

A little while ago I had the pleasure of eating two TWIX candy bars. One was from Europe and the second was the American version. I know, I know…it’s unhealthy. But seriously, I’m like three times your size so I think I can take it.

American TWIX

Here are the major differences:

1) The American version was softer on the outside, but a little less caramel-filled than the European version. The European version was exactly opposite…tons of caramel, but a tad brick-like on the outside.

2) The European version doesn’t have the itty bitty grooves running along the top of the two bars like the American version…who knows why. Maybe Americans consider themselves a little ‘groovier’ than Europeans.. No…that can’t be it.

3) And finally: the American TWIX has less carbs but more fat than the European version. The European one had almost twice the calories…which I find interesting as most Americans are twice the size as Europeans, statistically speaking.

(Taken while on assignment with a group of Mission: Restore surgeons in Dehradun, India last year)

This woman was moments away from being anesthetized and operated on (to remove massive burn-scarring around her neck and chest). The anesthesia she would receive would be local, meaning she’d be numb in the areas that would be cut, but she would remain conscious. She didn’t speak a word of english but listened intently to every word said between the nurses and surgeons. She knew what was about to happen but showed no signs of nervousness or fear…no emotion whatsoever.